Teenagers take chlamydia test

Secondary school pupils are to be screened for a sexually transmitted disease in an attempt to curb record infection levels, it was revealed yesterday.

Teenagers will be offered tests for chlamydia, which often leads to infertility, at drop-in clinics within schools.

Health chiefs hope the measure will succeed where traditional sex education has failed. The experimental clinics are planned for two mixed secondary schools in York. Testing will be available to boys and girls "on demand".

Parents will be aware of the clinics, but will not be informed if their children have attended and will not be given the results of tests. If successful, similar clinics are likely to be set up across the country.

One in ten sexually active women under 25 is infected with the disease. Research suggest that among under-16s who have sex, the infection rate is even higher, at one in seven. Ten per cent of men from 16 to their late 20s also carry the disease.

The scheme, to be run by the York Hospitals NHS Trust, has received the provisional backing of both headteachers, but has yet to be formally approved by the board of governors.

If given the go-ahead, screening will start later this term. The Trust said the urine tests would be available to all teenagers that asked for them. Clinics will be once a week, with the results given to pupils by nurses the following week.

Although "aimed at teenagers", in theory the tests could be carried out on children as young as 11, health chiefs confirmed.

The cost of the project is being met by the Department of Health as part of a £150,000 grant for chlamydia screening in York.

The York schools, which have not been identified, already offer emergency contraception and sexual health advice to pupils aged from 11 to 18.

The introduction of the clinics follows recommendations by the Commons select committee on health which wanted more done to ensure young people receive sexual advice and help. Colleges, nightclubs and sports clubs are also likely to be asked to be screening sites.

Chlamydia, which can be treated with antibiotics, causes pelvic inflammatory disease. This can lead to permanent scarring of the fallopian tubes, making ectopic pregnancies and infertility more likely.

The number of known cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland rose by 14 per cent last year to 81,680. This is more than double what it was five years ago and does not take into account the fact that most cases are undetected.

Robert Whelan, director of the pressure group Family and Youth Concern, attacked the schools initiative.

"It raises serious child protection issues," he said. "I would like to know what the schools are going to do if they get girls of 13 or 14 with chlamydia, are they going to call in the police? They should do because it means these girls are sexually active."

He described the decision not to inform parents of the tests as "outrageous" and added: "Parents are the primary guardians of their children's interests."